Writing Books For Children: Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen--who has written more than 200 books for kids and young adults, populated by characters that are always well-rounded, believable, and strong--is my favorite children's author. In fact, I've used her book Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls as bedtime reading for my nieces, and Grandad Bill's Song helped me come to terms with the loss of my grandmother. So I was excited about this entry in the Career Choices: Real People series, which follows two young aspiring writers who visit Yolen at Phoenix Farm (her New England home), read a bit of their work, and listen as she gives advice and encouragement. In addition, Yolen provides a glimpse into her own creative process by sharing anecdotes about her methods of storytelling. While I enjoyed listening to Yolen speak, the overall poor production qualities of the camcorder-shot program proved far too distracting: in some scenes half the person's head is cut off, disembodied voices are heard off-screen in others, or the camera seems to wander aimlessly around the room. In this case, students who wish to learn about writing from Yolen would be better served by reading the author's work. Not recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (J. Asala)